Improvement in fire-extinguishers



PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. PINKHAM, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-EXTINGUISHERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 102,413 l, dated April 26, 1870 antedated November 2, 1869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. PINKHAM, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Fire-EXtinguishers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved fire-extinguisher, consisting of two reservoirs connected together and mounted upon a truck or carriage. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the same.

Where the ordinary Ere-extinguisher, provided with a single reservoir and but one hose or conducting-pipe, is employed in subduing a fire, after the reservoir is emptied it becomes necessary to recharge it, which operation causes a suspension of the stream, and involves a loss of much valuable time, besides which, in the case of astreet-engine, it necessitates the employment of a separate truck or carriage for each reservoir.

'lo avoid these objections is the purpose of my invention, which consists in the arrangement, upon a truck or carriage, of two or more cylinders or reservoirs connected by pipes, which are controlled by stop-cocks, and which pipes communicate with an issue pipe, tube, or nozzle common to all the pipes, so that, in extinguishing a re, one reservoir may be resupplied while another is being exhausted, and thus a continuous supply and stream be kept up and thrown upon the re.

To enable others skilled in the art to luiderstand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A B represent two fire-extinguishers or reservoirs for containing water or other suitable liquid under gaseous pressure. These reservoirs are mounted upon a truck or carriage, C, to facilitate the transportation of the apparatus from place to place. Each reservoir A B is provided with a stopcock, a or b, and the two reservoirs are connected together by a coupling having two branches, c d, which are attached to the stop- `cocks a b, and are united at a central point,

D, wherel the hose E is attached. Gis a revolving reel, which is supported between the two reservoirs, and upon this reel the hose is wound when not required for use.

The operation is as follows: Both reservoirs being charged, one of the stop-cocks, a, is opened, as seen in Fig. 2, the other, b, remaining closed, when the contents of the reservoir A are forced, by the gaseous pressure within, through the branch c, and out of the conductingpipe or hose E upon the re. As soon as or justprevious to the reservoir Abeing emptied, the cock bis opened and that a closed, when the contents of the reservoir B will be forced, through the branch d, out of the hose E. While the reservoir B is being discharged, the reservoir A may be recharged, and, after the supply in the reservoir B is eX- hausted, the cock a is opened to allow of the escape of the contents of the recharged reservoir A, the cock b of the reservoir B being closed.

These operations may be repeated for any desired length of time, thus maintaining a steady, uninterrupted stream until the iire is extinguished. l

It is evident that, instead of two reservoirs only, three or more may be.employed, the coupling being provided with a corre spending number of branches, united f at a point at or near which the hose is to be attached. The stop-cocks a b may be placed at any convenient point between the reservoirs A B and the point D, where the branches imite.

. The above-described apparatus is particularly adapted for use as a street or village fireengine, as it is extremely light, and may be easily transported and operated by a small number of men.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The arrangement upon a truck or carriage of two or more cylinders or reservoirs, connected by pipes, which are controlled by stop-cocks, and which pipes communicate with an' issue pipe, tube, or nozzle common toall the pipes, so that, in extinguishing a re, one reservoir may be resupplied while another is being exhausted, and thus a continuous supply and stream be kept up and thrown upon the fire, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the above, the reel G, as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE F. PINKHAM. Witnesses:

N. W. S'rEAENs, L. E. BATCHELLER. 

